Six men charged after “unacceptable” weekend police assaults

Eleven officers in the Humberside Police area were assaulted over the weekend. Photo: Stock photo from Spalding Police

Six men have been charged after a weekend of violence towards police officers across the Humberside Police area, including three incidents in Lincolnshire.

Two of the six men have been remanded into custody after the incidents in Cleethorpes, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Hull and Beverley, which included one officer being strangled, punched and bitten in the head by a dog.

Lincolnshire incidents and charges:

Cleethorpes

A 35-year-old man was charged with multiple counts of assault after an incident at a house on Bentley Street in Cleethorpes at 3.35am on Sunday, October 14.

Officers attended the house and arrested Mark Gostelow who has subsequently been charged with four counts of assault of police officers, three counts of assault and one count of having a dog dangerously out of control.

Another police officer suffered minor injuries on broken glass at the scene.

Mr Gostelow appeared at Grimsby Magistrates Court on Monday, October 15 and was remanded in custody to appear via video link on October 17.

Grimsby

Jack Turrell, 24, of Burwell Drive in Grimsby has been charged with assault of a police officer after an incident on Victoria Street in Grimsby on Saturday, October 13.

He has been bailed to appear at Grimsby Magistrates Court on January 15 2019.

Scunthorpe

Trafford Ryan Warrington, 20, of Turnstone Drive in Scunthorpe has been charged with assaulting two police officers and being drunk and disorderly in a public place after an incident in the early hours of Sunday, October 14.

The incident happened on Doncaster Road in Scunthorpe and he has since been bailed to appear at Grimsby Magistrates Court on November 6.

“It is not acceptable”

In total there were assaults on 11 police officers and staff over the weekend whilst carrying out their duties and Humberside Police Chief Constable Lee Freeman said “it is not acceptable”.

He said: “Although assaults on officers is by no means a new issue for us, as for other forces across the country, I wanted to raise it again following the attacks at the weekend.

“Whilst we are the police and we do expect to run towards danger, it is not acceptable that we should experience such violence whilst doing our job, and we must take a stand against this.

“The levels of violence we’re experiencing can at times be extremely serious, with one of our officers strangled, punched and bitten in the head by a dog this weekend. The personal impact on those assaulted should not be underestimated.

“Police officers and staff are all real people with families. Every one of those injured this weekend is a mother, father, son daughter or grandparent. They are victims of crime the same as anyone is, and their physical and mental wellbeing is affected by such experiences.”

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